A sedentary lifestyle can increase one’s risk of death, but it may be countered by just 20 to 25 minutes of physical activity per day, according to study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Regardless of the amount of time spent sitting down each day, larger daily totals of physical activity are associated with a lower risk, according to the research. Adults in affluent countries sit down for nine to ten hours a day on average, primarily during work hours.
Furthermore, the researchers clarify that a severely sedentary lifestyle is linked to an increased chance of passing away.
They point out that a large portion of the previously published research on the advantages of physical activity to counteract extended sitting has relied on aggregated data, which invariably leads to a generalized approach.
In an attempt to get around this, the researchers combined participant data from four groups of individuals who had been fitted with activity trackers to determine how much sitting and physical activity might affect risk as well as whether physical activity could change the relationship between sedentary time and death.
In the analysis, just under 12,000 individuals who were at least 50 years old were included. They had been followed for at least two years, had at least four days’ worth of activity tracker records, and had disclosed information about potentially significant factors, such as their sex, educational background, weight, height, history of smoking, amount of alcohol consumed, and whether they currently or previously had diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or any combination of these conditions.
Since this study is observational in nature, causation and effect cannot be established. Furthermore, the researchers admit that they were unable to repeat measurements of sedentary hours and physical activity, ruling out any long-term changes in either.
Not taken into consideration were other potentially significant aspects such general health, mobility problems, and diet. Furthermore, not all activity categories and their accompanying intensities—cycling, resistance training, gardening, for instance—may be accurately classified by activity monitors.
Nevertheless, their findings indicate: “Small amounts of MVPA [moderate to vigorous physical activity] may be an effective strategy to ameliorate the mortality risk from high sedentary time, where accumulating more than 22 mins of MVPA eliminates the risk of high sedentary time.”Promotion of physical activity may significantly improve a person’s health.
